Skip to main content
Clinical Trials/NCT00609505
NCT00609505CompletedNot Applicable

Telemedicine vs. Face-to-Face Cancer Genetic Counseling in Rural Oncology Clinics

Duke University8 sites in 1 country130 target enrollmentStarted: August 1, 2008Last updated:
Conditions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Status
Completed
Sponsor
Enrollment
130
Locations
8
Primary Endpoint
Patient satisfaction

Study Overview

Brief Summary

Cancer genetic counseling (CGC) has been found to have "substantial" benefits for individuals with breast cancer and their family members; it has been deemed by multiple organizations as "standard of care" for women with breast cancer and their relatives. Unfortunately, there is a disparity in access to CGC, especially among women who live in rural and underserved areas. In North Carolina, only two cancer genetic counselors practice in rural clinics - each only for a few days per month. Therefore, in an effort to make CGC more widely available in a timely manner, we propose to test provision of counseling through telemedicine (TM), in which a patient and health care provider communicate with each other using videoconferencing. In 4 rural oncology clinics, we will implement low-cost TM and compare satisfaction and cost-effectiveness between groups of women designated to have their CGC session by TM or FTF. We'll use a validated measure to assess satisfaction by a phone survey one week after the CGC appointment; cost-effectiveness will be measured at project's end by calculating length of wait time for appointment and costs of equipment, labor, and mileage. Study hypothesis: TM is as satisfactory as FTF counseling and is a more cost-effective way to provide this beneficial service.

Study Design

Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel
Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Masking
None

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Individuals referred for cancer genetic counseling (e.g., by medical oncologist, primary care physician or self) in one of 4 oncology clinics: Gibson Cancer Center in Lumberton, NC; Scotland Cancer Treatment Center in Laurinburg, NC; Johnston Cancer Center in Smithfield, NC; and Maria Parham Cancer Center in Henderson, NC.
  • Willing to be randomized to receive counseling via telemedicine or face-to-face.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Referred for cancer genetic counseling from any clinic other than the 4 listed above.
  • Unwilling to be randomized to receive counseling via telemedicine or face-to-face.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Patient satisfaction

Time Frame: One week post-intervention (genetic counseling session)

Secondary Outcomes

  • Cost-effectiveness(Enrollment completion)

Investigators

Sponsor
Duke University
Sponsor Class
Other
Responsible Party
Sponsor

Study Sites (8)

Loading locations...

Similar Trials